NOMO DROPS D'BACKS HE GETS SHUTOUT; GAGNE FASTEST TO 30 SAVES DODGERS 4, ARIZONA 0.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

PHOENIX - When the public sparring went on, when one-time Dodgers icon Hideo Nomo was demanding to be traded, nobody thought a return to glory in L.A. was in the right-hander's future.

Even at December's winter meetings, Nomo's agent said another tenure with the Dodgers nearly was unthinkable.

So here it is, six months later, and Nomo is taking his turn as the ace of the Dodgers' staff. And it couldn't come at a better time.

With Arizona flame-thrower Randy Johnson pitching and Dodgers right fielder Shawn Green sitting due to a jammed thumb, Nomo put forth an effort in a 4-0 victory that summarizes everything the Dodgers believed they were getting when they signed him in the offseason.

Nomo (9-5) outdueled Johnson (12-3) with some historic help from closer Eric Gagne to match his career high with his seventh consecutive win, throwing eight innings and defeating baseball's best pitcher.

``I remember Nomo in '95 and clinching (the playoffs) in San Diego,'' veteran Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros said. ``He's pitching like he did in '95. The thing that separates him, regardless of the stuff he has, is he's going to go out there and leave it all on the mound. That's not to say other guys don't, but Nomo has something else about him.

``There's been a lot of hype about (Kazuhisa) Ishii, but Nomo's the man. Before there was Ichiro (Suzuki), before anyone else, there was Nomo.''

It was Nomo that enabled the Dodgers (51-31) to win the series opener against the D'backs as he allowed five hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out seven.

Gagne, Dodgers manager Jim Tracy's security blanket, came in with two runners on and none out in the ninth inning and got the final three outs for his 20th consecutive save. In the process, he became the quickest pitcher ever to 30 saves. He did it in the Dodgers' 82nd game, one quicker than St. Louis' Lee Smith ('93) and the White Sox's Bobby Thigpen ('90).

Nomo, meanwhile, is 7-0 with a 2.76 ERA in nine starts since losing May 12 in Florida, and Monday's outing was his most efficient of the bunch.

``I heard before I was going to pitch against Randy Johnson so I was looking forward to this game,'' Nomo said through an interpreter. ``Just to be in the same game is a fun thing to do.''

It's also a long way from the threats of banishing Nomo to the Dodgers' bullpen by manager Bill Russell and general manager Fred Claire, which led to Nomo's asking for a trade during the 1998 season.

Nomo is also a long way from signing a minor-league deal with the Chicago Cubs in 1999, failing to make it back to the big leagues and then signing with Milwaukee. Stints in Detroit and Boston followed.

``He's definitely the Nomo-san that I remember, for sure,'' said Dodgers infielder Dave Hansen, who played with Nomo in '95 and '96. ``The way he's keeping hitters off balance, that's the Nomo-san I remember. His demeanor on the mound, you don't know if he's excited or not. He doesn't let anything change his game plan.''

It wasn't just Nomo's right arm and devastating split-finger fastball that enabled the Dodgers to increase their National League West lead to 2 1/2 games over the Diamondbacks, and kept them from from losing three consecutive games since they were swept by San Francisco to start the season.

For the second start in a row, Nomo also provided a spark with his bat. After going 0 for 23 to start the season, he doubled in a run for the second time in five days, this time bailing out but punishing a full-count fastball from Johnson in the fifth inning. His two-out drive over the head of left fielder Luis Gonzalez scored Adrian Beltre from first and put the Dodgers ahead 1-0.